Tag Archives: ford focus

In 2012, the Ford Focus beat out the Toyota Corolla for the distinction of the world’s best-selling car. As numbers from October are released, however, another challenger has emerged and beat out the Focus for the month.

The Honda Civic sold 27,328 units in the United States in October, beating out the Toyota Corolla, Chevrolet Cruze, Ford Focus, and Hyundai Elantra. Last year, the Toyota Corolla won the month of October with 20,949 units sold, followed by the Honda Civic, Chevrolet Cruze, Ford Focus, and Hyundai Elantra. The Honda Civic is also leading compact sales for 2013 so far with 280,889 units sold.

Interestingly enough, the Ford Focus was the world’s top seller of 2012, and currently it is in fourth place for U.S. year-to-date sales with 203,762 units sold, trailing the Civic by 77,127 units. The Focus didn’t even beat its previous year’s U.S. sales numbers. In 2012, the Ford Focus sold 18,320 units, and in 2013, it only sold 15,108 units.

At the time of publication, the starting MSRP for the 2014 Ford Focus is $16,310, and the starting MSRP for the 2013 Honda Civic Coupe is $17,965.

Readers, we want to hear from you! Which compact car do you think deserves to be the world’s best-seller? What about America’s best-seller? Leave a comment below, and let us know what you think!

As the 2014 Ford Fiesta rolls into dealerships this month, Ford has taken an interesting tactic to promote the Fiesta and celebrate International Bacon Day at the same time.

International Bacon Day isn’t until August 31, but this morning Ford announced that they will offer custom bacon graphics that bacon enthusiast can add on to their new 2014 Ford Fiesta. Additionally, Ford customers will be able to buy other bacon decals including dual bacon racing stripes and bacon strips over the rear wheels, nicknamed a “Side of Bacon.”

If bacon on a car isn’t appealing to you, Ford’s Custom Graphics program offers other decals and graphics for the Mustang, F-150, Fiesta, and Focus. Allan Benton of Benton’s Country Hams, who oversaw the bacon decal design, is confident that the bacon decals will be popular, especially with younger drivers. In the press release announcing the decals, Benton stated, “In the 40 years I’ve been in this business, I’ve never seen so much interest in bacon. It’s being used in bourbon, chocolate, ground beef, caramel corn, and whatever else you can think of. This car just makes so much sense.”

When automakers talk about improving fuel efficiency, they are usually planning to cut vehicle weight or designing a new engine. Lacks Enterprises presented a new way of improving fuel efficiency last week at the SAE World Congress by, quite simply, re-inventing the wheel.

The Evolve Hybrid Wheels are strong yet lightweight wheels designed for aerodynamic efficiency. James Ardern, the director of business development at Lacks Wheel Trim Systems, explains, “We have learned that wheels are contributing significantly to the fuel economy of a vehicle. The things right next to the wheels, the tires get tested. Consumer Reports, for example, has shown that better, more efficient tires can raise a vehicle’s mpg rating by one or two ticks, and Lacks has test results that show that the wheels – at least the Evolve wheels – can do the same.”

Lacks Enterprises has already tested their Evolve Hybrid Wheels on a number of vehicles including the Ford Focus SE. Their test on the Focus found that the wheels improved the city mpg by 0.4 mile per gallon and the highway mpg by 1.1 mile per gallon.

There will be more testing this summer and into the fall, and as of now, they have not announced when the Evolve Hybrid Wheels will hit the market. Still, this is an encouraging development just before Earth Day on Monday, and hopefully more automakers and designers will think outside the box in making new vehicles more fuel efficient and eco-friendly.

This week, the 2012 Polk global market registration data was finally completed, and the worldwide top-selling vehicles of 2012 were announced. There were a few surprises in the top 10, but Ford walked away with the top spot and the most representation on the list.

The Ford Focus was the top-selling nameplate in 2012 with over a million units. To be exact, it was 1,020,410 units, a 16 percent increase from 2011. Toyota Corolla came in second place with 872,774, followed by the Ford F-Series. Ford’s third model in the top 10 was the Ford Fiesta at number 6 with 723,130 units.

In a press release, Ford was clearly celebrating their rankings. Jim Farley, Ford executive vice president, stated, “Focus and Fiesta represent the culmination of our One Ford global product strategy. Our global products are resonating with customers…With additional manufacturing capacity added last year, we now have a tremendous opportunity to further strengthen our global small car sales in 2013, with sales already off to a very strong start already.”

Readers, we want to hear from you! What do you think of last year’s top 10 bestsellers? Have you taken any of them for a test drive? Leave a comment below, and let us know what you think!

Edmunds is reporting a new recall on the 2013 Ford Focus, C-Max, and Escape, starting March 25.

Some of these new Ford vehicles have a faulty child lock mechanism installed on the left door of the backseat. Child locks are supposed to automatically lock the backseat doors from the inside while the engine is turned on so that children in the back seat cannot accidentally open the door.

Ford will replace the locks on all affected vehicles, and until then, it is recommended that any small children be seated in the middle or on the right side of the backseat. Fortunately, there have not been any reported injuries related to the faulty child locks, and with the recall, Ford hopes to keep it that way.

Typically, the Ford Focus Electric has a starting price of $39,200. Right off the bat, Ford is knocking that starting price down to $37,995. From there, buyers can choose to buy the Focus Electric outright and get an additional $2,000 discount or take 1.9 percent financing from Ford Motor Credit. Either way, it means thousands of dollars in savings for people who might have been eying the Ford Focus Electric but were waiting for a good deal.

Standard features on the Ford Focus Electric include SYNC with MyFord Touch, dual zone electronic automatic temperature control, HD Radio, and heated front seats. I can’t deny that in this cold weather, the idea of heated seats is very tempting.

2012 has been a great year for the Ford Focus. Back in September, the Focus was projected to outsell the perennial favorite, the Toyota Corolla, and become the world’s best-selling car of 2012. This week, the Focus got more good news when it earned a five-star Overall Vehicle Score from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

The NHTSA’s Overall Vehicle Score is a combination of the vehicle’s score on its front and side impact crash tests and a rollover resistance test. Broken down, the Focus scored four stars on the rollover resistance and front crash test and scored five stars for the side crash test, earning it the overall five-star score.

The Ford Focus’ high score can be attributed to the new safety technology utilized in the vehicle. Some of these features include the Safety Canopy curtain airbags which protect passengers during a rollover and driver airbags that better protect the chest and ribs in an accident. Also, the SYNC system includes hands-free calls and texting, and the new AdvanceTrac system helps reduce vehicle skidding and automatically makes adjustments to keep the vehicle on track.

While the Ford Focus has already been selling well in 2012, this distinction might give the Ford Focus that boost it needs to outsell the Corolla in the last few months of the year. We will have to wait and see how the numbers ultimately break down at the end of 2012, and we will keep you posted when we know which car will win out as the world’s best-selling car.

For years, the Toyota Corolla has reigned as the world’s best-selling car, but this year, the reigning champ might have some competition.

Ford has projected that based on their current sales numbers, the Ford Focus will outsell the Toyota Corolla worldwide in 2012. According to their press release, the Ford Focus is leading the Toyota Corolla, 489,616 to 462,187. Volkswagen also has its sights set on the top spot with the new VW Golf, though it is not expected to overtake the Corolla this year.

While it would be exciting to see a shake-up with the top rankings, I think Ford is being a little premature in their celebrating. After all, they have been close to beating the Corolla before and have ultimately lost in the final sprint to the end of the year. I’m not a superstitious person, but I do believe that Ford might have jinxed itself with this press release. Maybe they should have focused a little less on press releases over a projected win and focused on selling their Focus.

Yesterday, CBS News MoneyWatch named their 5 best American-built cars. With so many great American cars on the market today, we were curious as to what made the cut. The list is below along with our thoughts on each of their picks.

Cadillac CTS – Winner of Popular Mechanics’ Top 10 Car, Car and Driver’s 10Best, and Edmunds.com’s Best Retained Value Award, CBS couldn’t really make the list without the Cadillac CTS. The Cadillac CTS’s latest tagline is, “If you’re going to make a statement, don’t mumble,” and with its combination of power and luxury, a driver won’t be able to blend in driving the Cadillac CTS.

Buick LaCrosse – In the past, the Buick LaCrosse has had no trouble racking up stellar reviews and awards, and 2012 is no exception. Already, it has earned five-star safety ratings from the NHTSA’s New Car Assessment Program as well as a Consumer Digest Best Buy. Kelley Blue Book reviewers also gave it a 4.5 out of 5 rating, making it popular with everyday drivers and car reviewers alike.

Ford Flex – The Ford Flex is probably the most underrated of the bunch here. It still isn’t a household name, but consumers and car reviewers who have driven it are hoping that changes soon. This cross-over is a seven-passenger family car with a completely different feel from the usual minivan or SUV.

Chrysler 300 – In 2012, the Chrysler 300 has already taken home some of the industry’s top awards. The 2012 Chrysler 300 was named one of Ward’s 10 Best Engines and Interiors as well as a Consumer Digest Best Buy. It was also ranked #1 in Kelley Blue Book’s 10 Most Comfortable Cars Under $30,000 and made Kelley Blue Book’s 10 Best Family Cars list. Like the Cadillac CTS, it would be difficult to make a list of the best American-made cars without including the Chrysler 300.

Ford Focus – Edmunds claims that the Ford Focus the first American-made compact car to really give Japanese automakers a run for their money, and though that initial success might have gone to their head, Ford has made some big changes to the Focus that have made it a must-see American-made model. Edmunds specifically cited the 2012 Focus as a “monumental improvement,” calling it a “well-rounded, well-built car that is easy to recommend.”

We want to know what you think of CBS News’ list! Did your favorite car make the cut? What do you think got snubbed? Leave a comment below and tell us what you think!

Car buyers have been struggling along with the auto industry and now are both seeing an upturn in their situation with the economy finally recovering. With more money in their pocket, they are wanting to get back in the seat. The problem the industry is facing, however, is how to advertise to the interested party.

According to a report by the Foresight Research, buyers have begun to turn away from advertising that makes the car out to be “sporty” or “fun to drive.” People are looking to get quality out of their vehicle, they care more about seeing a vehicle as “competitive” and in “discounts.”

The constant rising of gas prices has also given rise to the consumer who wants to make sure that their car has good fuel economy. The report also notes that brand recognition still plays a large role in what people purchase. Due to that, it’s not really surprising that the strong sales in February were in part to the fuel efficient cars such as the Honda Civic and Ford Focus.

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